On we buy house bandit sign, I have pat live automative answering machine number on it.
Is it better to have my cell phone?
Because on call history, there’s lots of people just hung up n did not leave messages.
Please advise!! I am newby in this business!! :help
Hi,
Don't use your actual personal cell phone, instead buy a Trak Phone from Walmart or some other department store where you can pay for additional minutes by buying a re-charge card.
This type of phone can not be tracked unless you provide something directly about yourself and I advice using anominous information and a ficticious registration.
In a lot of cities it is or could be illegal to place bandit signs in various locations, law enforcement can only see if your phone number is registered in order to issue a citation. If they do not find a real name and address in your phone registration they have to pass you by, and they can’t entrap you to write a citation.
Any answering service, any place you use your credit card or actual information can be tracked.
This answer by no means is an indication whether it is legal or illegal to place a bandit sign in any location, that is up to you to determine what legal ramifications exist in placing bandit signs in various locations.
But a Trak Phone does not have to have an origin and can remain anonimous!
GR
In my opinion, if you can’t list a legitimately registered phone number you may not want to do that type of marketing. There are plenty of other ways to find properties to buy that do not include having to play hide and seek with code enforcement like direct mail and door to door marketing (in areas where that is allowed) not to mention all the traditional places to find properties like the MLS and CraigsList.
Hope that helps.
Sincerely,
James
Thank you guys.
I have phone number registered through PatLive.
Hope that law enforcement would not trace the number :lol
K Town, I recommend that you set up a Google Voice really easy to use and its 100% absolutely free you can set up a local number right in your own market place that you can direct the calls directly to your cell phone or office plus a ton of other cool features. Heres the link www.google.com/voice Hope it helps. Take Care.
Do YOU like to leave messages? I know I don’t. My advice would be to try to empathize w/ your potential customers and see things through their eyes. You’ll wind up making better decisions that way.
it’s a tough call. It’s probably best to answer all of the calls. But if you’re like me, you probably don’t have time to answer all of these calls.
I believe in the 80/20 rule. So while you may miss out on some deals, I currently still only call people back that leave me a voicemail.
Yes, if I were the customer I may not leave a voicemail either.
But if I really wanted to get in touch with someone about selling my house then I WOULD leave a message.
I’d definitely use a number where you can be reached. Otherwise, you might consider an answering service. There are some out there that charge as little as $0.50 per call.
I think you should definitely use your cell number.
Better to have a cellphone. Deals are a first come first served thing. If a seller sees your bandit sign, don’t think they won’t call another person’s sign if they cant’ get a hold of you. Also, some people don’t like leaving messages. If you are only putting out around 25-30 signs a week and they are spread out , Code Enforcement will more then likely just pick them up and throw them away. If you get ghetto with it like putting out 50 to 100 a week, then they will get mad and do whatever is necessary to track you down. I have a tmobile prepaid that is used primarily for my bandit sign calls. My other cell number is used for my direct mail calls.
This is true in a sense. If you are putting out 700-1000 bandit signs a month, there is no way that you are going to want to take all of these calls. You need to either hire somebody to screen your calls, make sure you train them on the proper screening techniques, or be prepared to waste your whole day taking calls yourself. This my friend is not fun at all, it’s far better for having somebody else take the call. If you can’t afford to hire somebody to do this job, make sure your voicemail directs them to leave the proper information. True some people don’t like leaving messages, but if they’re serious enough, and motivated enough they’ll leave one. :bobble
Hi,
Thank you for the suggestion. I just registered for my free number and you are right, the features are really great. I did register under my email address though, do you think I can be traced down? Should I reregister under a ficticious email?? Also, this is directly to everyone, what should my greeting be if I’m not able to answer a call from a prospective seller? Anything in particular that’s working for you?? Thanks!
I use a toll free number (877) that originally cost $6.96/month plus $0.33/minute, now up to $8.95/month that forwards calls to my cell so I never miss a call. I usuallly keep the calls short and get a call back number to keep the per minute usage cost low.
jmd_forest
I agree with Marcel,
I currently use Google voice, and its has been a tremendous help with using bandits signs for marketing. Not only is it FREE. It allows you to track how many voice mails were left and how many hand ups. You will need something to track your results so that you can market effectively. You can also forward the Google number to any cellphone that we are currently using right now and therefore eliminate the needs to purchase a 2 nd line.
Good Luck!!
Definitely your cell phone number and make sure you answer it as much as possible. Usually I write on a yellow 18 by 24 sign with a black permanent marker a couple of catchy lines (House for sale at 50% of market value, etc.) and your cell phone number. You will get a lot of calls, so be prepared.